Plain-language guides, articles, and answers for injured workers in California — in English and Spanish.
Start with the firm film, then the full library — the moments that decide a claim. Selected titles are also available in Spanish on the Spanish site.
Get medical attention first. Then report the injury to your employer as soon as possible — delays give insurers ammunition. Ask for a workers' compensation claim form (DWC-1), fill out the employee section, and keep a copy of everything.
Under California workers' compensation, treatment for your work injury is paid by your employer's insurance — not by you. And as our client, we make sure you are never left responsible for any medical bill incurred as a result of your claim. If a bill or lien reaches you anyway, send it to us and we handle it.
Consultations are free, and we work on contingency. Attorney's fees in California workers' comp cases are a judge-approved percentage of your recovery — if we recover nothing, you owe us no fees.
Often, yes — but the rules depend on your employer's medical provider network and whether you predesignated a physician. This is one of the most common places injured workers lose ground early. It's also where experience pays: after 30+ years in these networks, we know which doctors actually treat patients well — and which are more prone to decide with the insurance carrier.
You can still have a valid claim. California law compensates work-related aggravation of prior conditions. Insurers lean on pre-existing conditions to deny claims — it's one of the arguments we push back on most.
Sí. Todo el proceso está disponible en español: consultas, documentos, llamadas y preparación para audiencias. No usamos líneas de traducción — hablamos su idioma directamente.
No — a denial is the beginning of the fight, not the end. You can challenge it before the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, and many denied claims end in full recoveries.
Every case is different. Get answers about yours — free, and in your language.